Snowflake Arizona Temple
The Snowflake Arizona Temple is the 108th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It was Mormon pioneers that first settled Snowflake, Arizona in 1878 as requested by President Brigham Young. The town of Snowflake was named after William Jordan Flake and Erastus Snow, two of the Church's early leaders who helped supervise colonization of the area.
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “We are thankful for those who laid the foundations of this and other nearby communities. They struggled so desperately for so long against adversities of many kinds. Now their posterity enjoy the sweet fruits of their efforts, and crowning all is this magnificent and beautiful temple.” [1]
The Snowflake Arizona Temple serves 35,000 members, many of them descendants of the first pioneers to the area. The temple is set on a knoll that has become known as "Temple Hill." About eight feet was removed from the top of the knoll so the two-level temple could be built. The lower level is partially set into the knoll.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Snowflake Arizona Temple was held on September 23, 2000. President Stephen Reidhead of the Snowflake Arizona Stake related the history of the early pioneers who settled the area, dreaming that a temple would be built there one day. Elder Rex D. Pinegar of the Seventy, who presided at the ceremony, said the temple was the most sacred place on earth. He "encouraged the members to break old feelings that draw them apart and gather together in the temple where there are no differences."[1]
There are about 9,000 people who live in the Snowflake area, including the town of Taylor, but more than 94,000 people attended the temple open house during February 2002. Temple President Leon T. Ballard believes that so many visitors came because of their ancestral ties to the area.[2]
- Journals of these early settlers record that as early as 1880 Church leaders spoke of a temple being built here someday.
- Only two years after the first members of the Church moved into the area, Apostle Wilford Woodruff encouraged the struggling saints to persevere by speaking of the possibility of a temple in their midst.
- Later, prophetic statements were attributed to Church presidents John Taylor and Joseph F. Smith. Faithful saints clung to these promises, passing them on, with their faith and hope, from generation to generation.
- "The history and legends of Snowflake are rife with these stories," said Snowflake Arizona Temple President Leon T. Ballard, 72, and a native of the town. "I have been raised on those things. That's why I consider this a prophetic temple."[3]
President Hinckley dedicated the Snowflake Arizona Temple in four sessions on 3 March 2002 along with Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder Dale E. Miller of the Seventy. Enthusiasm for the new temple did not stop after the dedication. "We offer 24 sessions a week, and nearly every one of them has been completely full," [2] said President Ballard.
The temple grounds complement the natural surroundings and feature a beautiful water fountain. The exterior of the temple is finished with two tones of polished granite imported from China. Much of the furniture has a pioneer look out of respect for the area's pioneer ancestry.
Not only are there patterns taken from pioneer quilt blocks but also tribal designs and these are represented in everything from stenciling on the ceilings to sculpting in the carpet.[4] Items such as handcrafted rugs, baskets, and pottery also decorate the interior.
President Frankie J. Gilmore of the Tuba City Arizona Stake, which includes much of the Navajo and Hopi reservations, said that including the tribal designs was important. "It has a lot of meaning to us," he said. "Each temple has some significance. This one has a special meaning for us simply by putting these things in there."[5]
Another element of the temple is a mural in one of the ordinance rooms, painted by Native American artist Linda Turley-Christensen. On three walls she represented the varying landscapes included in the temple district from red sandstone cliffs to pine-covered mountains in vivid detail.
The Snowflake Arizona Temple has a total of 18,621 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. It is Arizona's second temple, the first having been dedicated in Mesa, Arizona in 1927.
Notes
- "Dedicatory prayer: 'The sweet fruits of their efforts,'" Church News, 9 Mar. 2002, 25 Jun. 2005
- “News of the Church,” Ensign, May 2002, 109
- Snowflake Arizona Temple Times, Vol. II, pp. 1–2
Temples in Arizona
- Gilbert Arizona Temple
- Mesa Arizona Temple
- Phoenix Arizona Temple
- Snowflake Arizona Temple
- The Gila Valley Arizona Temple
- Tucson Arizona Temple
- Yuma Arizona Temple
